October Sky

While watching the movie, October Sky, I came across many scientific connections. For instance, when the boys in this movie were framed of setting a forest on fire due to their rocket, they used an advanced equation involving a parabola to prove that the destination of their rocket was not where the authorities believed, and thus proving their innocence. Other than that, the movie was introduced with the sight of Sputnik, a space probe launched by the Russians, flying through the night sky. This movie took place in Coalwood, West Virginia. In Coalwood, there were many coal mines. In fact, the town revolved around coal mines. However, the mines exposed its workers to a very hazardous health problem called Black Lung Disease. Black Lung Disease is caused by exposure to coal dust, which is what the coal workers breathed in while they mined for coal. The main characters in this movie were high school students, and they built functioning rockets. This was a surprise and extreme accomplishment, because in that time period and in that environment, the only chance of college was on a sports scholarship. Not many people accepted this group of teens for being different, and trying hard to earn a scholarship by relying on their smarts and science. I too, was surprised that this group of teenagers took part in creating a rocket. Three of those teenage boys were not very intelligent, and their life had revolved around sports. When Homer Hickam, the main character, chose to build a rocket, they were made fun of. It was almost like everyone doubted their ability, and at first, I too, was doubtful of their abilities. When they finally built their rocket and it worked, I was proved wrong, and I was completely astonished.
Other than science and math connections, October Sky also connects to Character Education. The characters in this movie display cooperation by agreeing to work with a 'nerd'-like student. This surprised because those three boys who had cooperated with that one student, were apart of a completely different clique of friends. It was funny when Homer sat down with the boy in the cafeteria because the entire cafeteria gasped in surprise. Assertion was another attribute displayed by these boys because no matter what others said, they continued building their rockets and studying. Even when Homer's dad had yelled at Homer for wasting his time studying, Homer stood up for his interest for science, and stood up to his father. As a result, I believe that this movie was both inspirational and educational. It showed both scientific and character education. October Sky was based off of a true story, and a book written by Homer Hickam himself.